By Maria de los Reyes Segura Laguna
(Arsenal FC assures that the values they promote are respect and tolerance; Photo credit: Maria de los Reyes Segura Laguna)
Arrests at stadiums in the UK have been increasing in 2025 due to antisocial behaviour.
Between 2006 and 2022, Arsenal and the police launched Arsenal Kicks and No More Red as national initiatives to bring the community together and help young people in Islington to stay away from anti-social behaviour in and outside the field.
Initiatives to help programme participants adopt positive behaviours also include regular football training sessions, weekly matches and tournaments, organised by community coaches, who provide long-term support to participants. Since the project was established in 2006, it has grown in other neighbourhoods in North London, such as Camden and Hackney.
When the project began, Elthorne Park was the only place large enough to host a large number of children. Over time, The Kicks Project increased the number of activities they carried out, such as boxing sessions, visits to the cinema, photography courses, dance competitions and all kinds of activities to promote safety and good behaviour in children.
They also included workshops on self-defence, weapons, knives, and fireworks – to keep the children safe.
Arsenal and Adidas are collaborating in their No More Red campaign to “tackle the root causes of youth violence”. Launched in January 2022, with the help of team players such as Declan Rice and Alessia Russo, the initiative now has help from people in the local community who are recognised for their positive contributions.
Alcohol: a contributing factor
Alcohol consumption before and after games is a cause of fights and conflicts on and off the field, with the streets near the stadium being the scene of pitched battles between rival teams, although the Sports Grounds Safety Authority prohibited the consumption of alcohol inside the stadiums according to The Sporting Events regulations (Control of Alcohol etc.) Act 1985.
Regulations prohibit entering a football field whilst intoxicated, and also prohibits the consumption of alcohol in vehicles specially designated to attend the event.
However, the ban on accessing stadiums with alcohol confronts the opinions of fans. In a survey conducted for this article, there are exactly 50 percent in favour of the ban and 50 percent against.
In a second survey , 55 percent of voters believe that alcohol consumption encourages violence in any situation.
Fighting discriminatory behaviour
Arsenal acts forcefully against those members who have shown abusive or discriminatory behaviour, both online and in the stadium, and has prohibited 31 members from entering the stadium for three years.
Arsenal CEO, Vinai Venkatesham, told the press: “We take all forms of abuse and discrimination extremely seriously – whether online or in and around the stadium.”
In January 2025, it was reported that a teenager had been arrested for sending hate messages to Arsenal player Kai Havertz and his wife Sophia, who was pregnant at that time, because Havertz had missed a penalty in the match against Manchester United.
Sophia shared the messages she received from this 17-year-old teenager on social networks in which he allegedly threatened to “kill” her unborn baby.
Although the teenager was released on bail, the investigation continues and Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta spoke of the terrible consequences of the harassment suffered by many players and their families on social networks, saying that these abuses must be completely eradicated.
Violence against women
In 2014, the charity Women’s Aid launched the campaign Football United Against Domestic Violence, the first of many campaigns in English football to launch the message that domestic violence is totally unacceptable in society.
In 2018, Arsenal and Islington Council in partnership with White Ribbon UK launched a campaign to raise awareness about domestic violence and abuse, since in the United Kingdom complaints of abuse increase by 25% during football World Cups.
During this project, councillors, council staff, GPs, dentists, police officers and other health workers received training to recognise the signs of violence and on how to care for victims correctly. Arsenal, collaborating with this project, created a community football tournament called ‘Show Domestic Violence the Red Card,’ in which all participants wore a white bow to never remain silent about domestic violence.
At the end of 2024, a group of Arsenal fans called Arsenal Supporters Against Sexual Violence sent a letter to the club, in which they talked about how the BBC had reported an investigation into seven different Premier League teams, as some of the players of those teams were being investigated for alleged sexual offences.
In the letter, they asked the club to continue to maintain its support for victims of sexual abuse and to strengthen its security measures so that no act of sexual violence takes place inside the club, in the stadium or in the vicinity of it.
The CPS and the police work together to address all football-related offences, from hate crimes to hooliganism. They also work to punish minor offences such as throwing objects into the field, illegal resale of tickets or even access to the playing field without authorisation, as well as punishing the use of inappropriate language both verbally, in chants, as well as in posters or flags.
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